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46 pages 1 hour read

Paul Zindel

The Pigman

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1968

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Important Quotes

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“The truth and nothing but the truth, until this memorial epic is finished, So Help Us God!”


(Prologue, Page 1)

The prologue establishes several elements of the narrative. First, it states the purpose of the story will be not only to record the events of what happened but to create a memorial epic for this person who impacted the narrators’ lives. Second, it establishes that the narrative is a joint effort between Lorraine and John, and once the reader begins, they see them taking a turn narrating every other chapter. Finally, the prologue adds a propulsive narrative drive, as it hooks the reader, making them want to continue to find out what happened.

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“Thirty-four scrawny, undernourished apples rolling up the aisles sound just like a herd of buffalo stampeding.”


(Chapter 1, Page 4)

The author employs figurative language to describe the sound of the apples rolling on the floor. Using a simile to compare the sound to a herd of buffalo adds a sensory element to the passage, making the reader feel like they are in the room. The prank creates a loud sound that would have been alarming to the substitute teacher and hilarious to the students in the class.

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“[…] that doesn’t stop her from wearing these tight skirts which make her nylon stockings rub together when she walks so she makes this scraaaaaaatchy sound.”


(Chapter 1, Page 5)

John sees his teachers as old-fashioned, and the librarian is no exception as she wears stockings, or pantyhose, that make a funny sound when she walks. The author uses onomatopoeia to describe the sound, which is grating and annoying but also humorous and ironic. Librarians are notorious for demanding quiet in their libraries. The fact that the librarian herself is generating noise is hilarious.

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“The only part that impressed me out of the whole article was about the crazy lady in the sanitarium who hoarded food and sheets and towels and bathrobes—the one that used to wear all the bathrobes at one time.”


(Chapter 3, Page 14)

The term sanitarium is an outdated term for a mental hospital. Also called asylums, these privately run facilities were used to treat various disorders and conditions from the late 19th century until the 20th century but are no longer in use due to advancements in understanding and treating mental illness. Many facilities abused and tortured patients using barbaric treatments such as electric shock therapy. John’s fascination with these sad stories is telling about his character.

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“But that’s how it always is. Lorraine remembers the big words, and I remember the action.”


(Chapter 3, Page 14)

John and Lorraine are very different from each other, but something drew them together as friends. The back-and-forth narration allows each person to explain their relationship. Here, John explains that Lorraine is a detail-oriented person, whereas he sees the bigger picture and focuses on the action. These fundamental differences in their personalities will become more important as they become involved with the Pigman.

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“It’s what they call a compensation syndrome. His own life is so boring when measured against his daydreams that he can’t stand it, so he makes up things to pretend it’s exciting.”


(Chapter 4, Page 23)

Lorraine is fascinated by psychology and uses her knowledge to diagnose John’s problems. The concept of compensation psychology posits that a person creates elaborate stories to cover up their reality. John’s family life is unhappy, so he lies and tells stories to conceal his sadness.

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“He would’ve made one @#$% of a Santa Claus if you had put a white beard on him and stuck him on a street corner in December with a little whiskey on his breath.”


(Chapter 5, Page 33)

John’s description of Mr. Pignati is quite sad and negative. The fact that he thinks all people dressed as Santa are degenerate is depressing and reveals his pessimistic view on life. It is evident John’s psyche bears the wounds of his father’s abuse of alcohol. This line also gives John a chance to use his symbols for curse words.

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“I think that’s probably the real reason I go to the graveyard. I’m not afraid of seeing ghosts. I think I’m really looking for ghosts. I want to see them. I’m looking for anything to prove that when I drop dead there’s a chance I’ll be doing something a little more exciting than decaying.”


(Chapter 7, Page 58)

When John shares that he enjoys spending time in graveyards alone, he shows vulnerability and reveals another layer of his personality. He is not just interested in drinking, smoking, and pulling pranks. He is also a young person who longs to know his purpose in life.

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“‘Be yourself! Be individualistic!’ he called after me. ‘But for God’s sake get your hair cut. You look like an oddball.’”


(Chapter 7, Page 61)

John’s father’s statement is ironic and reveals the generational gap between father and son. John’s father comes from a traditional generation that believes men should work and provide for their families. John is coming of age in an era where young people question those traditions and seek meaning outside the conventional pathways. His father tells John to be an individual and cut his hair, so he does not stand out.

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“Then he told this story about how he used to be a professor at Southern Pines University, but he took some LSD as part of an experimental program and lost his power of concentration.”


(Chapter 8, Page 71)

After the Cold War, the United States government conducted experimental studies on mind control using psychedelic substances such as LSD. This reference seats the novel at a specific time in history in naming this controversial program. Lorraine and John’s encounter with the displaced person confronts them with the harsh and painful problems of the adult world.

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“When you take the Seventh Avenue Local, you have to switch at Chambers Street for the Seventh Avenue Express. It can really get boring unless you keep your eyes open.”


(Chapter 8, Page 72)

Though geography is not an important motif in the narrative, this passage sets the story firmly in a city landscape, particularly Staten Island, the smallest of five boroughs that make up New York City. Residents of Staten Island must take a ferry to reach Manhattan. Here Lorraine describes a complex nexus of subway locations that, to an outsider, sounds confusing but to her is like a second language for how she navigates her city.

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“No one had ever bought me stuff like this before—something I just liked and didn’t need and didn’t even ask for. Now I knew how John felt because I felt the same way.”


(Chapter 8, Page 74)

On a simple trip to a grocery store, Lorraine feels more loved and seen than at any time in her life. She and her mother live a subsistence lifestyle, and the idea of eating whatever she wants is like a dream. Lorraine’s mom struggles to provide physically and emotionally for her daughter, and Mr. Pignati’s type of generosity is something she has never experienced.

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“Matterson’s Tomb is an escapist’s dream in the summer, but it’s a realist’s nightmare in December.”


(Chapter 10, Page 86)

Lorraine addresses John’s obsession with hanging out in the cemetery. She recognizes the pastoral escape it presents in spring and summer when the grass is green and everything is in bloom. However, in the bleak winter, the place takes on a depressing feeling and becomes less of a romantic bower and more of a somber reminder of mortality.

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“Beware of men is what she’s really saying. They have dirty minds, and they’re only after one thing. Rapists are roaming the earth.”


(Chapter 10, Page 87)

Lorraine reveals why her mother is so suspicious of her comings and goings. She is paranoid about her daughter being hurt by a man. Lorraine’s father’s infidelity left her mother wounded physically and emotionally, and she no longer trusts any man. In typical teenage fashion, Lorraine uses hyperbole to explain her mother’s beliefs.

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“The longer he knew us, the more of a kid he became.”


(Chapter 10, Page 98)

Spending time with John and Lorraine provides companionship for Mr. Pignati and a distraction from his paralyzing grief. Ironically, the more they spend time with him, the more the teenagers act like grown-ups. Conversely, Mr. Pignati becomes childlike and carefree in their presence.

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“There was a full-length mirror on the door, and when I saw myself, I realized I wasn’t plain old John Conlan anymore.”


(Chapter 11, Page 108)

Part of the coming-of-age journey is a young person’s reconciliation with their identity outside of their family. John’s parents see his existence as an annoyance, and his peers see him as a prankster and compulsive liar. When he puts on Mr. Pignati’s suit, for a moment, he sheds the identity others have placed on him and sees the possibilities of who he could be.

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“She lifted her glass, and she was lovely.”


(Chapter 11, Page 111)

This moment occurs right after John and Lorraine dress up in the Pignati’s clothing and share their first kiss. Though they are only pretending to be adults, the playfulness unlocks something in their relationship, and they briefly express their feelings for each other. John has previously made general comments about Lorraine’s physical appearance, but this is the first time he describes himself as being attracted to her beauty.

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“I think when we looked at each other in the candlelight, it was the first time I was glad to be alive.”


(Chapter 12, Page 113)

During the brief period Lorraine and John play house at Mr. Pignati’s, they each get a glimpse of a happy, contented family life, something neither of them has experienced. When John looks at her at that moment, he truly sees her humanity, a new sensation for Lorraine. All her mother sees in her is the possibility of disaster, but John allows her to be authentically herself, giving her hope for her future.

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“There was something almost religious about that room, as though it contained a spirit that belonged only to Mr. Pignati, and it was best left alone.”


(Chapter 12, Page 115)

Mr. Pignati’s room full of ceramic pigs is more than just a strange collection of figurines. It is a symbol of his undying love for Conchetta. When Lorraine experiences the nightmarish omen in the room, the author foreshadows a coming disaster that may involve the delicate pieces of memorabilia.

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“And there wasn’t that much damage being done. Somebody dropped a drink down the stairs, and a cigarette burned a small hole in a throw rug. Only one lamp went over […].”


(Chapter 13, Pages 122-123)

In a classic teenager moment, John downplays the damage done to Mr. Pignati’s house at the party. He fails to see that they have, at the very least, disrespected this man by allowing even one person, much less 40 people, into his home to party and damage his personal belongings. Using the first-person perspective, the author highlights the poor decision-making skills of teenagers.

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“Several other broken pigs were laying all over the floor, and the only thing I could think of at that moment was the proud and happy look on Mr. Pignati’s face when he had shown us the pigs that first day.”


(Chapter 13, Page 127)

Lorraine’s prophetic dream in the pig room comes true when she sees the damage wrought by Norton. Seeing the broken shards of the ceramic pigs, Lorraine is confronted with the consequences of their choices. Whether or not Lorraine places the weight of blame on John, she participated in the party and did nothing to try and stop it.

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“Look at me, I wanted to yell, can’t you see I’m growing up and that I’ve got to have friends? That I want to have friends—that I need other people in this world besides you!”


(Chapter 14, Page 132)

Lorraine’s confrontation with her mother after the party is a decisive moment in their relationship. Having never challenged her mother’s authority before, Lorraine is emboldened by her deception and disobedience. However, she withholds her words and does not tell her mother how she truly feels. This statement of independence happens only in her mind.

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“I can still remember the sound of it, and sometimes I wake up from a nightmare with it in my ears.”


(Chapter 14, Page 141)

The sound of Mr. Pignati dying haunts Lorraine, a chilling reminder of their involvement in his life and death. Lorraine’s dreams, particularly her nightmares, become a unifying motif in the narrative as they often foreshadow tragic events. Her dreams now are no longer predictive but torturous, reminding her of their mistake.

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“What did she want from me—to tell the truth all the time? To run around saying it did not matter to me that I live in a world where you can grow old and be alone and have to get down on your hands and knees and beg for friends?”


(Chapter 15, Page 144)

John has built his personality on deceiving others and twisting reality. In his thoughts, he recognizes that Lorraine wants him to be a more truthful person, but he explains that sometimes the truth is too painful to acknowledge and lying makes it easier to get through life.

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“Right in the bright sunlight you could see the flashing dome going like crazy, pulsing like a heartbeat.”


(Chapter 15, Page 148)

The author uses a simile to compare the ambulance light to a pulsing heartbeat. The image is ironic since the ambulance is taking away Mr. Pignati, whose heart has stopped. The image of the light pulsing like a heart symbolizes John and Lorraine’s affection for Mr. Pignati. Though he is dead, their love for him will live on, and they will never forget how he changed their lives.

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